Saturday, 28 November 2009

The MCA special briefing today, passed a declaration calling on the party leadership to allow fresh polls at the Central Committee (CC) level to resolve the party crisis.

MCA central committee members aligned to vice-president Datuk Liow Tiong Lai have vowed to quit their posts in order to force fresh leadership polls, Malaysiakini reports.

According to Liow, 13 of the elected central committee members have signed undated resignation letters and are waiting for the right time to submit them to the party.

The crisis, according to him stemmed from the apparent failure of the party leadership to recognise and implement the resolutions of the Oct 10 extraordinary general meeting.

Datuk Liow told reporters after the special briefing that he and his supporters hope that party elections can now be held within 60 days.

He said that once the necessary resignations are submitted, the party must hold fresh polls for the central committee within 30 days as stipulated in the party constitution.

Datuk Liow said that this agenda (pushing for fresh polls) would now be his prime focus.

He also hoped that party president Datuk Seri Ong Tee Keat would stick to the consensus and the roadmap to hold fresh polls as soon as possible.

But his faction has the task of convincing another seven out of 30 elected central committee members to do the same in order to have the necessary numbers - one third of the powerful CC - to force fresh polls

Yesterday, party information chief Heng Saei Kee said the party would not be postponing the Dec 4-5 AGM, and those claiming so were attempting to cause confusion.

On why party elections must be held as soon as possible, Datuk Liow said the party cannot function under current circumstances and new leaders must be elected.

Observers have noted that Liow's faction is pushing for immediate fresh polls in order to ride on the wave of discontent against Ong.

The party president replaced Liow's men on the presidential council with supporters of Datuk Seri Dr Chua Soi Lek, reflecting a deal between the two men to fill party appointments with leaders aligned either with Ong or Dr Chua.

KUALA LUMPUR: Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak said today he will meet warring factions in MCA to find a solution to the deepening crisis in the party.

Najib said he felt that the crisis in MCA, the second largest Barisan Nasional's (BN) component party, had become more serious and severe.

He added that the failure of MCA leaders to find a solution to the impasse could result in the party unable to win the trust and confidence of the Chinese community and the people as a whole.

"I will find time to talk to them and will see if there is a common ground; we will take it from there," he said after opening the 2009 International Paralympic Committee General Assembly here today.

To a question, Najib who is BN chairman, said he would meet the factions probably separately and would try to do so before Nov 28.

Groups aligned to vice-president Datuk Seri Liow Tiong Lai are set to hold an extraordinary general meeting (EGM) on that date to push for a fresh party election.

Najib said there were many groups expressing disappointment over the turn of events in the MCA.

"Certainly if we want to find a formula for unity, our action should reflect that desire. It seems that what is happening in the MCA so far, no longer inspires confidence among those outside the party, including among BN component members," he said.

The prime minister also said that the crisis in the MCA would affect the BN, especially the effort to restore the coalition's image in the eyes of the people.

"Yes, it is going to hamper our effort to revive the position of BN in the eyes of the people. The people now see Umno as being very stable and has gone through the process of reforming itself and presenting a new image to the rakyat.

"We hope that other parties will come together and reflect the desire to put together a new image for the BN," he said.

The seven included ex-organising secretary Gan Hong Su and ex-MCA informationchief Lee Wei Kiat. (The six new faces in the MCA council: read here )

The reshuffle was made under Article 46 of the MCA constitution.

KUALA LUMPUR: The MCA central committee (CC) has, in a majority decision, rejected the second extraordinary general meeting (EGM) planned for Nov 28.

The decision was made during its meeting chaired by party president Datuk Seri Ong Tee Keat yesterday.

Twenty-three of the 35 central committee members present voted against the EGM, while 10 agreed to it. Two members abstained.

“We will inform the central delegates of the central committee decision,” Ong told reporters after the meeting.

He added that the central committee rejected the second EGM because the motions were against the party constitution.

Also in dispute was the notice of the meeting.

On Nov 6, three central committee — Wong Nai Chee, Datuk Wee Jeck Seng and Datuk Liew Yuen Keong — requisitioned for a second EGM to pave the way for fresh party elections.

The group wanting the second EGM is said to be aligned to vice-president Datuk Seri Liow Tiong Lai.

MCA deputy president Datuk Seri Dr Chua Soi Lek had on Monday advised all the 2,380 central delegates not to attend the Nov 28 EGM.

He added that the party headquarters would write to the delegates and explain to them why the resolutions — to call for fresh election for the CC and to nullify any appointments or dismissals made by the party president after Oct 10 — were against the party constitution.

Dr Chua added that the three requisitionists had been asked to amend the resolutions but they did not do so. The Star

Tuesday, 17 November 2009

A fresh election will be held for the Kota Siputeh state seat in Kedah after it was declared vacant by the Kuala Lumpur High Court Monday, Bernama reports.

Justice Alizatul Khair Osman Khairuddin ruled that the seat was vacated after Umno's incumbent assemblyperson Abu Hassan Sarif absented from two state assembly meetings this year.

Following the High Court decision, Abu Hassan will be barred from attending the state legislative assembly sitting Tuesday

More significantly it also means the Election Commission (EC) will have to call for a by-election within the next 60 days, pending an appeal to the Court of Appeal.

In her decision, Justice Alizatul held that the EC had acted irrationally and its decision that Abu Hassan was still the assemblyperson for Kota Siputeh and the state seat was not vacant, ought to be quashed.

"In my view, Article 51 sets out the conditions which render the seat to be vacant and the first respondent (Abu Hassan) had satisfied the conditions," said Alizatul in allowing the judicial review filed by Kedah Speaker Abdul Isa Ismail. ...continue here

Abdul Isa, represented by leading counsel Sulaiman Abdullah, filed the judicial review on Oct 1, after the EC decided that there was no vacancy of the Kota Siputeh seat and that Abu Hassan was still the assemblyperson.

Abdul Isa wanted the court to declare that Abu Hassan was no longer the assemblyman following his failure to attend two consecutive sittings of the state assembly on April 19 and Aug 9 this year, and that the seat was vacant.

In his application, Abdul Isa also sought an order for the EC to call for a by-election....continue here

He, however, has described the MCA Greater Unity Plan briefing as being disrespectful of the party's extraordinary general meeting decisions on Oct 10 during which the delegates had voted against Datuk Dr Chua from being reinstated as deputy president and had also gave a vote of no confidence against Datuk Ser Ong Tee Keat as president.

At a press conference, Datuk Chua said the high turn-out showed their concern over unity in the party, and "their level of support can be regarded as high."

On the Nov 28 extraordinary general meeting (EGM)- which was among five topics dicussed - called by the faction backing Datuk Seri Liow to seek fresh party elections, Datuk Chua said they had indicated that they would not be attending.

Dauk Ong, who was present, vowed to hold a fresh election but on the condition that MCA attains stability first by implementing the unity plan.

Wednesday, 11 November 2009

Liow, who was MCA deputy president following the party Oct 10 EGM till last Tuesday, has been disputing the reinstatement of Dr Chua as deputy president.

Yesterday, ex-party legal advisor Datuk Leong Tang Chong also argued that Dr Chua had not been reinstated but that the MCA central committee had been misled into thinking so.

Dr Chua told a press conference today that he is willing to give it to Liow if it means the move can end the crisis, ensure stability and unity. But he wants Liow to make his position clear.

The star has the story:

Liow can have my post, says Soi Lek

KUALA LUMPUR: MCA deputy president Datuk Seri Dr Chua Soi Lek is willing to give up his post for Datuk Seri Liow Tiong Lai if the vice-president makes it clear that he wants the No. 2 post.

Dr Chua said he was willing to step down from the post if such a move could ensure stability and unity in the party.

He just needs to say ‘I, Liow Tiong Lai, want your (deputy president) post’ and I will quit and give the post to him.

“Please tell us what you want and make your position clear once and for all. If it (relinquishing the post) can end theparty crisis, I am willing to do so,” he challenged Liow at a press conference here on Wednesday.

Dr Chua also reminded Liow that he was elected deputy president by the central delegates while Liow was chosen by the central committee.

He said Liow had contacted him before the Oct 15 central committee meeting and he told the latter not to fill up the deputy president post as he had written to the Registrar of Societies to clarify the matter.

“I told him that if the ROS decides that I am the deputy president, he will get very embarassed,” he said

He also questioned Liow’s intention in changing his stand to go against party president Datuk Seri Ong Tee Keat after the Oct 10 extraordinary general meeting.

“Why did none of you stand up to support me when I was fighting against Ong Tee Keat and say that the president cannot pakai(is useless) anymore?

“Why is there a sudden change of tune when thevote of no-confidence is passed against the president?” he said, referring to Liow and his group.

On whether his move to step down from the post would affect the greater unity plan, Dr Chua said: “They think that maybe I am a hindrance to party unity. Maybe they think that Liow and Ong together are ‘unity’.

Thursday, 5 November 2009

The MCA five-member disciplinary committee has resigned en bloc, according to a Bernama report.

It is learnt that the decision was reached during a recent committee meeting, and an official resignation letter was submitted to party president Ong Tee Keat through party secretary-general Datuk Wong Foon Meng's office this afternoon.

Wong however, when contacted said he has not seen the resignation letters yet as he was not at the party headquarters Thursday.

"I have not been to the party headquarters today because I was at my office in the Parliament house the whole day. They may have sent the letters to the sec-gen's office, I'm not sure," he told Bernama when contacted.

Dr Lai said the board members had decided to resign en bloc after their recommendation to sack party deputy president Datuk Seri Dr Chua Soi Lek was eventually overturned by party delegates during the Extraordinary General Meeting (EGM) on Oct 10.

In August, the disciplinary board had unanimously recommend that Dr Chua be sacked from the party following his sex video scandal.

The board's recommendation was initially endorsed collectively by the presidential council, but was later overturned by the powerful central committee (CC) which decided to impose a four-year suspension for Dr Chua instead.

During the EGM on Oct 10, the party delegates had again overturned the decision by reinstating Dr Chua's membership with immediate effect while rejecting the motion to reinstate him as party deputy president.

However, on Tuesday, Dr Chua received a letter from the Registrar of Society (ROS) which confirmed that he was still the party deputy president.

Have a Heart: Save IJN

Israel’s assault on Gaza, by air, sea and now land, has killed (at the time of this writing) more than 600 Palestinians, with more than 2,700 injured. Ten Israelis have been killed, three of them Israeli soldiers killed by friendly fire. Beyond the deaths and injuries, the people of Gaza are suffering a dire humanitarian crisis that is dismissed by the Israeli government. There is, however, Israeli opposition to the military assault. Read here...

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Child Safety

Parents, guardians, and adults who care for children face constant challenges when trying to help keep children safer in today's fast-paced world.
The National Center for Missing & Exploited Children (NCMEC) offers easy-to-use safety resources to help address these challenges.
For decades, children were taught to stay away from "strangers." But this concept is difficult for children to grasp and often the perpetrator is someone the child knows.
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Why Hamas is NOT the issue

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How does one explain the horrific fate that has befallen caged Gaza – a land saturated with rubble and body parts – carpet-bombed by air, invaded by ground, attacked by sea? Put to the test of history, Israeli “explanations” fail the credibility test. continue here---------------------------------------------Robert Fisk: Leaders lie, civilians die, and lessons of history are ignoredWe've got so used to the carnage of the Middle East that we don't care any more – providing we don't offend the Israelis. It's not clear how many of the Gaza dead are civilians, but the response of the Bush administration, not to mention the pusillanimous reaction of Gordon Brown, reaffirm for Arabs what they have known for decades: however they struggle against their antagonists, the West will take Israel's side. As usual, the bloodbath was the fault of the Arabs – who, as we all know, only understand force. ..Continue here

War on Gaza

Israel's failure to learnBy Nir Rosen (Aljazeera)

When George Bush, the US president, first entered the White House as the commander-in-chief in 2001, Palestinians were being killed in the al-Aqsa intifada.

Eight years later, as Bush prepares to leave office, Israel is carrying out one of the largest massacres in its 60-year occupation of Palestine.

The US, then and now, strongly backs Israel's offensive, justifying it as being, in fact, defensive.To continue read here ...